on the contrary, i find your attitude of a man saying “you can influence” things and you responding with “must be unhappy to think that” is evidence that you are the unhappy one. someone seeing other opportunities is not a challenge to your own choices yet you feel the need to patronize and belittle. it’s a rather repugnant, all too common, attitude in my opinion. rather see the songbird caged than be annoyed by the beauty of its song, i suppose.

an ambitious man who died fairly young having regrets is hardly evidence of anything.